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kaylsreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So sweet and such a beautiful read, think I found a new must read author
dani_reviews's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
azure6891's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tlwd's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rhidee's review against another edition
5.0
So damn good
Not only a great story with great characters, but damn good writing too. I didn't want to stop reading even when it finished.
Not only a great story with great characters, but damn good writing too. I didn't want to stop reading even when it finished.
mdee's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this! Not much happens in terms of conflict, but the story was so sweet and heartwarming. I loved how great Daniel and Rex were together. I was looking for a sweet and comfortable book to read and this one nailed it. I hope there's a sequel with Daniel/Rex or even a Will/Leo follow-up book.
booksafety's review against another edition
5.0
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes & tags down below.
I’m really struggling with putting my thoughts in order, or in words that would make any sense. Roan Parrish is a master at creating complex characters, and whatever she writes always feels a little magical. The places in her books are always so vivid in my mind while reading, and the characters feel like *real* people. There wasn’t really a lot happening in terms of plot, but the MCs individual journeys (god that sounds corny) never stalled, so it didn’t feel slow, even though the book is lengthy.
It’s finally sinking in. I live here now. I live here in this tiny town. Everyone knows each other and I’m a stranger. They’ll want to know me. Know about me. And then maybe they’ll hate me.
I almost want to say Rex and Daniel had a hard fought HEA. There wasn’t anything overly dramatic happening, no awful breakup, but the way they both had so much to work through both individually and together to be able to have a good and healthy relationship was a lot. They were both flawed and made mistakes along the way, but thankfully they were able to communicate. Eventually.
It broke my heart to hear about and see how Daniel was treated by his family. It added that little something extra to the book that I appreciated, even though it was awful.
“Too good to be true?” Rex asks, stroking my hair away from my face. “No,” I tell him. “Just good.”
Rex is another one of those characters that I want to wrap up in a blanket and take care of forever. Such a sweet and kind man.
There’s no secret that I love external drama and action/suspense, but this book was beautiful no matter what. I listened to the audiobook, and it was fantastic. I might’ve thought the book was a bit too long if I read it, but it was perfectly narrated, so it flew by.
Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Small town, tattooed professor, lumberjack chic, size difference, city boy vs country boy, homophobic family, chance encounter, hurt/comfort
⚠️⚠️ Content warning ⚠️⚠️
Explicit sexual content
Homophobia
Verbally abusive family
Death of a parent
Mentions of beatings/hate crime
Death of a side character (past, recalled)
Past trauma
Learning disability
Injured animal
Car accident
⚠️⚠️⚠️ Book safety ⚠️⚠️⚠️
Cheating: No
OM drama: It can seem like there will be at a couple of points, but it never results in any trouble or drama.
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 1st person, single POV
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile
I’m really struggling with putting my thoughts in order, or in words that would make any sense. Roan Parrish is a master at creating complex characters, and whatever she writes always feels a little magical. The places in her books are always so vivid in my mind while reading, and the characters feel like *real* people. There wasn’t really a lot happening in terms of plot, but the MCs individual journeys (god that sounds corny) never stalled, so it didn’t feel slow, even though the book is lengthy.
It’s finally sinking in. I live here now. I live here in this tiny town. Everyone knows each other and I’m a stranger. They’ll want to know me. Know about me. And then maybe they’ll hate me.
I almost want to say Rex and Daniel had a hard fought HEA. There wasn’t anything overly dramatic happening, no awful breakup, but the way they both had so much to work through both individually and together to be able to have a good and healthy relationship was a lot. They were both flawed and made mistakes along the way, but thankfully they were able to communicate. Eventually.
It broke my heart to hear about and see how Daniel was treated by his family. It added that little something extra to the book that I appreciated, even though it was awful.
“Too good to be true?” Rex asks, stroking my hair away from my face. “No,” I tell him. “Just good.”
Rex is another one of those characters that I want to wrap up in a blanket and take care of forever. Such a sweet and kind man.
There’s no secret that I love external drama and action/suspense, but this book was beautiful no matter what. I listened to the audiobook, and it was fantastic. I might’ve thought the book was a bit too long if I read it, but it was perfectly narrated, so it flew by.
Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Small town, tattooed professor, lumberjack chic, size difference, city boy vs country boy, homophobic family, chance encounter, hurt/comfort
⚠️⚠️ Content warning ⚠️⚠️
Explicit sexual content
Homophobia
Verbally abusive family
Death of a parent
Mentions of beatings/hate crime
Death of a side character (past, recalled)
Past trauma
Learning disability
Injured animal
Car accident
⚠️⚠️⚠️ Book safety ⚠️⚠️⚠️
Cheating: No
OM drama: It can seem like there will be at a couple of points, but it never results in any trouble or drama.
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 1st person, single POV
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile
jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
Part of my holiday m/m romance read-a-thon. Loved Parrish's narrator, Daniel; growing up in a working class family, but then earning a PhD in literature, he's really crossing class lines by eschewing the path all three of his brothers have taken, following their father into the car repair business, and teaching college instead. It's fun to see how differently he comes across to the folks in the small Michigan town where he's taken a job at a local college than he does in big-city Philly, both from his fellow Ivy League snobby lit grad students and from his family.
And he's crossing gender lines, too; his family of origin is decided masculine, and doesn't just tease this younger brother; they torment him both not sharing their traditionally male interests and for being open about his sexual preference for men.
The relationship that Daniel develops with local quiet man Rex Vale seems rather idealized, but perhaps this is because we only hear about Rex through Daniel's POV.
Still, a very strong debut. Looking forward to reading more from this talented author.
And he's crossing gender lines, too; his family of origin is decided masculine, and doesn't just tease this younger brother; they torment him both not sharing their traditionally male interests and for being open about his sexual preference for men.
The relationship that Daniel develops with local quiet man Rex Vale seems rather idealized, but perhaps this is because we only hear about Rex through Daniel's POV.
Still, a very strong debut. Looking forward to reading more from this talented author.